Ruffles and Bows
by marauder05
Summary: Sohpie and Ella are stuck dress shopping, which they absolutely hate, with their grandmother, which makes it even worse! Sophie will do anything to avoid it, even call upon Fred and George . . .
1. To the Burrow!

**A/N: The chapters in this one are **_**really**_** short, just so you know. **

"What about Hermione?" Ella offered.

"No," replied Sophie, "she actually _likes_ wearing dresses. She just thinks they're impractical."

"Ginny?"

"No, she wouldn't understand."

"Anna?"

"You know how hard it is to get a hold of her!"

Ella shook her head. She didn't understand why her sister making such a big deal about it. Dress shopping wasn't _that_ bad. Sure, they were going with Grandmother, but trying on all of the pretty dresses was actually kind of fun.

"Well, that leaves Fred and George, then. They may not understand but they did say they would always be willing to help us. No matter what."

"Your grandmother will be here in ten minutes girls!" came their mother's voice from downstairs.

"Ok mum," Sophie called and grabbed a piece of parchment from her cluttered desk and scribbled something on it.

She let Bert out of his cage and began tying it to his leg.

"Aaargh!" she said, hitting herself in the head. "I forgot to tell them we're going to be in the Muggle world!"

She pulled the note off and added something.

She tied it back on Bert's leg and addressed him, "Take this to the twins, ok? And please hurry!"

Bert took off out the window at top speed, headed for the Burrow.

"Girls! You have five minutes!" this time it was their dad.

"We're coming!" Ella said, grabbing her purse and heading downstairs.

Sophie shoved on her shoes and followed her sister.


	2. Unannounced Visitors

As soon as they entered the living room the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," muttered Sophie and ran to open the door.

Margaret gave her granddaughter a quick hug. "Hello dear. Now, where is your mother?"

"She's in the living room," Sophie said, nodding in that direction. She closed the door and followed her grandmother into the room.

Ella was sitting on the couch, looking bored. Their mother was running around the room, searching for Abby's pacifier.

"It's in the kitchen Mom," said Sophie smiling. Her mum was so forgetful!

"Thanks honey," Christine said, grabbing it and putting it into Abby's mouth. (she was in her carrier, ready to go to the babysitter's, which would be Ryan, or Ry-Ry as Sophie liked to call him)

"Alright dears," said Margaret. "Let's go over the plan again. We'll go down to the plaza and look in the shops down there for a bit. Around noon we'll come back here for lunch. If we haven't found anything by then we'll-"

There was a loud bang and the Weasley twins appeared in the fireplace, holding their broomsticks.

Margaret looked up, appalled. _Who were these boys to come bursting in unannounced? _

"What in the world are you doing here?" Sophie demanded, giving the twins a warning look.

"Sorry," said Fred after George had elbowed him in the stomach. "Didn't mean to interrupt. We just er . . . we just wanted to know if Sophie and Ella want to come play a game of Quidditch . . . down at the Burrow . . ."

Margaret raised an eyebrow. "The Burrow?"

"That's their house," said Ella, standing up.

"But er . . .seeing as this isn't a good time . . . well, we'd best be off," Fred said, stepping our of the fireplace with his twin.

"Can't you just Floo back?" Ella pointed out.

"Well . . . you see . . . we kind of used the last of it to get here, so . . . well . . . I guess we're gonna have to fly back." The two boys strode across the room, leaving dirty footprints on the carpet.

Christine shook her head, smiling. Those two always managed to make a mess! 

Margaret, however, looked absolutely furious. "How could you let them do such a thing?" she screeched. "I am going out there and making them clean it up this instant!" She brought herself to her full height of 5 feet 4 inches, and headed for the door.

Christine shot out her arm, stopping her mother in her tracks. "Look, it's no big deal. _Scourgify_. See? It's fine now. All cleaned up."

"You shouldn't let those hooligans go tromping through the house. You hardly even know them!" Margaret fumed.

Sophie cracked up.

"Grandmother, Fred and George . . . they're our best friends. Well, them and Ginny, of course," Ella said.

Margaret's face fell. "No wonder I've had so much trouble with those two," she said under her breath.

"Well, it's time to get going," said Christine cheerfully pushing everyone out to the car.

As they pulled out of the driveway, Sophie spotted a pair of red heads, hiding in the bushes.


	3. Tuft

Sophie stared. Her grandmother was holding the pinkest, most ruffly, girliest dress she had ever seen. It was tickle-me-pink and covered with matching pink bows. There were big puffy sleeves and a ruffly skirt with five flounces. To top it all off, there was bits of lace peeking out from the collar and hem.

Ella made a strangled sound in the bottom of her throat.

Their mother, Christine, looked as if she was trying to keep from bursting into laughter.

"Isn't this just adorable?" Margaret exclaimed, a radiant smile on her face.

Sophie heard loud retching noises coming from within one of the clothing racks, followed by a burst of laughter.

Apparently Ella heard it too, because they whirled around at the exact same moment to see a tuft of red hair, peeking out through the dresses. It had to be Fred and George!

"Go on, try it on!"

Sophie made a face and started to turn around. At that same exact moment, Fred reached out and grabbed a blue dress from the rack and chucked it at Sophie.

It hit her in the leg and she whirled around. A sapphire blue dress lay crumpled at her heel. Sophie picked it up and showed it to her mum.

"What about this one?" she asked

"Well, it's not very fancy," Margaret said. "But I do like the way it sparkles in the light. And I saw a beautiful necklace next door that would go with it perfectly!" **A/N: Margaret is their grandmother and Christine is their mother, just so you know. **

Christine nodded. "Go ahead. Try it on."

As Sophie closed the dressing room door she saw her grandmother force the pink dress into Ella's arms and shove her into a dressing room saying, "Oh, I'm sure you'll look absolutely gorgeous, dear!"


	4. A Girl!

Sophie looked into the mirror and gasped. The dress made her look so pretty! The blue accented her green eyes (although she wasn't quite sure how that worked out) and she just felt . . . well . . . pretty.

When Ella looked into the mirror, she gasped as well. However, it was for an entirely different reason. She looked like a giant wedding cake! A wedding cake with a head, arms, and legs, that is.

They stepped out of the dressing rooms at the exact same time, Sophie closing her door ever-so-soft and Ella slamming hers. They walked slowly towards their mum.

Fred glanced at Sophie and did a double take. Was this really the girl he had been best friends with for years? What had happened to her? He shook his head. Sophie was Sophie. It wasn't like she had changed, just put on a pretty dress.

He turned his gaze to where George was looking, a stunned expression on his face. Ella was wearing a ruffly, pink dress covered with bows. She looked absolutely hilarious! The twins exchanged glances and burst out laughing.

Ella glared in their direction, turning bright red in spite of her herself. It was bad enough wearing the stupid thing, but George seeing her in it? It was humiliating!

When she turned around to hide the blush creeping up her face, she spotted Sophie.

_Oh my gosh! _She thought. _She actually looks like a girl! A girly girl! My sister, a girl. Wearing a dress! Something has got to be wrong here!_

The two girls' eyes met and Sophie tried to stifle a giggle. She just couldn't help it!

But Ella looked so sad that Sophie stopped, mid-giggle, to give her twin a hug.

"Come on Ella, it's not **that** bad," she whispered. "Just say you don't really care for the color or something, I dunno, make it up."

Ella just gave her a funny look and walked up to their mum.

"I . . . er . . . well . . . I don't really like it, the dress. That is . . . I mean to say . . . it's alright but just not for me!" Ella said the last bit in a rush.

Margaret looked as if a cloud had passed over her and suddenly perked up. "I'm sure we'll find something for you Eleanor," she said cheerily, patting Ella on the head.

"Er . . . well . . . I'm gonna go change now, ok?" Ella said, ducking out from underneath her grandmother's hand and heading in the general direction of the dressing rooms.

Sophie walked up and tapped her mum on the shoulder. "Well, what do you think?" she asked.

Christine, startled, turned around. "Sophie?" she asked incredulously.

"Who else would I be?" Sophie said indignantly.

"You look so grown up! I hardly recognized you!" Christine said, giving her daughter a hug. "Isn't she just gorgeous mother?"

Fred and George snickered from behind the clothing rack.

"Oh Sophia Lynn! You look all grown up, just like a lady!"

Sophie ruined the moment by letting out a snort.

"Me? A lady? Yeah right! I'm gonna go change now, ok? See ya in a bit!"

With that she headed off to the dressing rooms, deep in thought.


	5. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Ella glared at herself in the mirror. Stupid dress! Stupid grandmother! Stupid Fred and George!

She threw the dress on the floor, not bothering to hang it up. It sat there, crumpled, its horrid pink bows sticking out every which way. She bent over to throw it again, when there was a knock at the door.

"Ella?" Sophie's voice sounded muffled through the door.

"What do you want?"

"Ella, open up! I've got something I bet you want to see!"

"It's not another dress is it?"

"I'm not telling. Just open up and find out for yourself!"

Ella heaved a sigh and opened the door. "What is it?"

Sophie held out a sky blue dress that was made out of the softest fabric. "This any better?"

Ella gasped. "It's so pretty!" she exclaimed, hugging her twin.

Sophie smiled. "Told you you should look."

Ella stuck out her tongue and closed the door, anxious to try on the dress.


	6. The Perfect Thing

Sophie was flipping casually through a specific rack talking to Fred and George.

"So . . . what are you two doing tomorrow?" she asked.

"Oh nothing much," Fred replied with a grin. "Perhaps play a bit of Quidditch, get some stuff from Zonko's . . . you never know . . ."

"You're going to Hogsmeade then?"

"Sure sounds like it," George said.

"Could you take me and Ella with you? We need to stop by Honeyduke's to get something for my dad. His birthday's coming up, you know. July 11th."

"Well . . . I don't know . . ." said Fred with an evil grin. "we'll have to think about it . . ."

"Think about it? Think about it!" Sophie said indignantly. "I'm your best friend in the whole wide world and you have to think about it!!!"

"Well, I dunno about that. What do you thing George," Fred said, turning to his twin. "George?""

He was gone! Fred searched the room with his eyes and found his twin standing right by the rack that was their hiding place, gaping.

_What's up with him? _Fred thought to himself. He followed his brother's gaze to see Ella wearing a pretty sky blue dress. It had a swishy skirt and dropped waist.

Fred, of course, didn't know the exact terminology (nor did he care), but that was, nonetheless, what he saw.

Sophie walked over to her twin and gave her a hug.

"Do you like this one any better?" she said, grinning.

"Much better," Ella replied.

She turned to her mother with pleading eyes.

Christen nodded.

Margaret looked at the dress. "Why it's quite lovely, really. The perfect thing for my Eleanor."

Ella grimaced. (_Eleanor!_) and headed toward the dressing rooms.

As soon as the adults were busy paying for the dresses, Fred and George came out of hiding.

"Guess you don't need us anymore," said George in mock disappointment.

"Yup," said Fred, eyeing the door. "You're happy, your mum's happy, even your grandmother's happy. Our work here is done!"

"What work?" Sophie and Ella asked, rolling their eyes.

"That," he said, pointing at the check out counter. "See you at Honeydukes!"

With that the two Weasleys left, giving Sophie and Ella a quick wave at the door.


End file.
